Description

A robust little beetle, around 4mm long, with limbs adapted for digging.

Ecology

A member of the scarab family – the group that includes dung beetles and chafers. This beetle favours sandy habitats and in particular coastal sand dunes. In the British population, it is thought that the adults breed in spring, with the larvae spending the summer underground. They emerge as adults in July or August and are believed to go into hibernation in September.

Distribution

Once thought to be extinct in Britain, there are now a small number of records from the south-west coast.

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